Trump team argues against calling Bolton
Manuscript should be inadmissible, says attorney Jay Sekulow.
— President Donald Trump’s legal team argued forcefully against the relevance of testimony from John Bolton on Tuesday as they concluded their impeachment trial defense and the Senate braced for debate
on whether to su m mon Trump’s former national security adviser and other witnesses into the trial.
“This should end now, as quickly as possible,” White House counsel Pat Cipollone declared, capping a defense presentation that painted Trump as a victim and took swipes at Bolton, the poten- tial witness who has scrambled Republican hopes for a swift end to the trial.
A day after the defense team largely brushed past Bolton, attorney Jay Seku- low addressed the contro- versy head-on by dismissing his manuscript — said to contradict a key defense argument about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine — as “inadmissible.” The argu- ment was meant to dissuade Republicans from pursuing witnesses including Bolton, who writes in a forthcom- ing book that Trump told him he wanted to withhold military aid from Ukraine until it helped with investigations into Democratic rival Joe Biden.
“It is not a game of leaks and unsourced manuscripts,” Sekulow said.
The argument built on a separate one Monday night from Trump attorney Alan Dershowitz, who said that nothing in the manuscript — even if true — rises to the level of an impeachable offense. Sekulow also sought to undermine the credibil- ity of Bolton’s book by noting that Attorney General
William Barr has disputed comments attributed to him by Bolton.
The legal team, in hours of arguments, delved into areas that Democrats see as outside the scope of impeach- ment, alleging law enforce- ment bias and seizing on surveillance errors the FBI has acknowledged making in its Russian election interfer- ence probe.
Trump’s attorneys also argued that the Founding Fathers took care to make sure that impeachment was narrowly defined, with offenses clearly enumerated.
“The bar for impeach- ment cannot be set this low,” Sekulow said. “Danger. Danger. Danger. These articles must be rejected. The Constitution requires it. Justice demands it.”
The case now moves toward written questions, with senators on both sides getting 16 hours to pose queries. By late in the week, they are expected to hold a vote on whether or not to hear from any witnesses.
While scoffing at the manuscript, Trump and the Repub- licans have strongly resisted summoning Bolton to testify in person about what he saw and heard as Trump’s top national security adviser.
Senate Republicans spent two days behind closed doors discussing ideas to satisfy those who want to hear more testimony without prolong- ing the proceedings — or jeopardizing the president’s expected acquittal.
The ideas appear to be losing steam as quickly as they emerge.
O ne Re p ub l ican, Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, was floating an idea backed by Sen. Lindsey Graham to subpoena Bolton’s book man- uscript so senators can see the evidence themselves — in private.
However, Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, called the proposal, which would keep Bolton out of public testimony, “absurd.”
“We’re not bargaining with them. We want four wit- nesses, and four sets of doc- uments, then the truth will come out,” Schumer said.
Added Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House intelligence committee and the lead Democratic prosecutor in the trial: “I don’t see how the oath of impar- tiality can be interpreted in any other way than demanding a fair trial that includes witnesses and documents.”
Other Republicans including Sen. Pat Toomey want reciprocity — bring in Bolton or another Democratic witness in exchange for one from the GOP side. Some Republicans want to hear from the Bidens.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell gathered GOP senators again late Tuesday to consider next steps. The Republican leader is encouraging senators not to become tangled in such questions that could delay things. He wants a quick finish without new witnesses or testimony.
“One thing about Mitch McConnell — he does not panic,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota.